As a parent of two toddlers- G. is four and B. is two- the internet would have me belief that there are a ton of products out there that I have to have. As a mom who’s tried many of those products, I can attest that there are few worth spending money on. Here are my favorites.
These pouches aren’t just for babies. In fact, as a mom of picky eaters, I plan to buy them for as long as my kids will eat them. With flavors like Spinach, Pea, Pear and Sweet Potato, Apple, Carrot, I feel zero guilt giving my kids one of these as a snack. The bonus is that they’re great for tossing in a diaper bag when we’re on the go.
These pouches can be purchased individually at the grocery store for anywhere from $1.00 to $1.75 each, depending on the the brand and the ingredients, but the best deals are on Amazon.
We’ve owned a lot of sippy cups. A lot. I’ve chosen them based on price, reviews, characters. I’ve regretted some of the purchases I’ve made because, for one reason or another, the cups didn’t live up to expectations. After several false starts, I finally discovered our favorite sippy cup brand.
These Gerber Graduate Fun Grips cups are durable, leak-proof, and easy to clean. The lids are mix and match, so we don’t have to worry about keeping each cup with its lid.
J. and I pretty much had the same reaction when G. started using the toilet. It was something like, “oh yeah…we still have to wipe his butt”. We’re hopeful that, someday soon, he’ll be able to take care of that part on his own. Until then, though, we’re stuck with the job. And it’s a job we don’t like to do without flushable wipes.
The wipes give us the confidence that he’s completely clean, even when access is a little more difficult than it was when he wore diapers. And, while we’re not quite there yet, I imagine these wipes would be even more convenient when you’re toddler is learning to wipe him/herself. There are several brands of flushable wipes out there, but we prefer Huggies or Kandoo.
We don’t do much juice at our house. It’s a decision we made when G. was an infant- one we’ve pretty much stuck with. If you hear our kids ask for juice, they’re likely asking for flavored water. Instead of buying sugary drinks that claim to have nutritional value simply because the flavor is loosely derived from fruit, we stick with water. We spice it up a little by adding a few drops of some sort of flavored water enhancer.
We know that plain water is ideal, but we’re comfortable “cheating” a little if that’s what it takes to get our kids to drink the stuff. The great thing about water drops is that they can turn any bottle of water into a flavored drink, even when we’re away from home.
Without planning it, the first socks I bought G. after he learned to walk were non-skid. They were just a cheap multi-pack with the size and brand printed on the bottom of the feet in puffy, no-slip letters. The next time I bought socks for him, the bottoms were plain- no non-skid writing. For weeks, the poor boy stumbled his way along our hardwood floors.
Now, I make it a point to look for non-skid options when I buy socks for either child. With hardwood floors and tile throughout our entire house, I want to give them the best chance of not busting it.
What are your favorite products for toddlers?
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